Building Endurance in Scent Work

Scent Work is an exhausting activity for the dog, both mentally and physically. Therefore, we must consciously train to build upon our dog's endurance, especially as we prepare to enter the higher levels of competition. In this course, we will outline how you can get your dog comfortable with routinely finding 8, 10, 15 or even more hides within a single search area!

Course Details

One of the easiest ways to ruin the Scent Work game for a dog is to over-face them with problems that are too difficult and too mentally and/or physically challenging. This makes perfect sense! If something used to be light-hearted and fun and now results in your brain hurting and your body feeling spent and sore, you are not going to like that activity much any more! Our goal with this course is to outline a variety of exercises which will incrementally increase your dog's endurance, while giving you the tools necessary to ensure the game stays fun for them. After all, you need for them to maintain their drive and enthusiasm!

Prerequisites:

Dog must know odor (Birch, Anise and Clove). Same exercises may be done with primary alone if the handler chooses.

What You Will Need:

your dog

flat or martingale collar

back-clip harness (optional)

6'-8' leash

10'-15' long line

LOTS of high-value and smelly treats

crate or area you can stage your dog in while setting up your searches